I loved this book! It beautifully portrays all the big feelings a child experiences, including the sense of loneliness and issues with friends. And who hasn't had a friend problem when they were young??

I think this book is great for kids, as they will get a feeling that they are not alone and that things will work out in the end. I especially loved how Cassie's moods were portrayed through the illustrations.

Looking forward to reading the next book, Dreaming Big.

This will be a deeply relatable book for many children, but also many adults. Cassie as a main character stole my heart with her deep feelings and her daydreaming. This was my first book from Shannon Hale, but I can clearly see why her graphic novels are so popular.

Dream On is a beautiful and sweet graphic novel by the very talented Shannon Hale. A story about being sensitive, handling tough friend situations and growing up. Best suited for younger middle grade readers. Recommended for all children's graphic novel collections.

I enjoyed this book. The illustrations and colors were vibrant. The story follows Cassie whose family is like alot of ours filled with too many responsibilities and not enough time. Cassie see a winner on an envelope and thinks this will provided the change her family needs. The tittle is perfect she is a dreamer she thinks of all these scenario were this can change her life. She deals with friendships, feeling sad and invisible at home very relatable for children of multi siblings homes. This was a great story my daughter and I enjoyed it.

Those of us of a "certain age" remember getting the Publishers Clearinghouse mailers, putting the special golden seal on the order form, and tearing off the stamps for the magazines we would get, if only our parents would let us.

This is the nugget for Shannon Hale's latest semi-autobiographical story, this one aimed at the upper elementary grades. This graphic novel recounts Cassie's struggles with friendship, her family's tough financial situation, and her own oversensitivity.

Once again, Hale's story is a slice of true feelings and true struggles. It's a great way for kids to feel they're not alone.

This is a perfect look into the life of a tween/teen. It reminds me of some of my students and what they experience at school and at home. Sort of the lost in the shuffle and the where do I fit in emotional ups and downs. I would highly recommend this to my fifth grade students.

Cassie’s eight member family is close-knit but at times she feels left out, overlooked and in need of more mom time, not to mention, her own bed! With her father out of work, things are even tighter financially. On top of the money worries, Cassie is afraid she is losing her best friend, Vali, to mean-girl, Stesha, is struggling with the “too sensitive” label she has acquired and is feeling guilty about the magazine sales sweepstakes entry that assures her she has won but the family really can’t afford the $20 to pay for the magazines she is required to order.

So much going on in Hale’s new graphic novel series but children’s lives are packed with many similar situations and more. The scenarios are realistic and ring as authentic, likely due to the semi-autobiographical nature of major elements of DREAM ON. The graphic panels are well-drawn, bright and add much to the dialogue that is always somewhat limited in this format. Readers are likely to relate to elements in Cassie’s life or that of supporting characters. However, I did get a slightly younger vibe from DREAM ON than in Hale’s highly successful “Real Friends” series. This one, with its sequel coming in 2026, seems to fit into the grade 3-5 age group while “Real Friends” skews a bit older.

Highly recommended for elementary libraries with no profanity, sexual content or violence.

Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press.

Such a wonderful upper elementary graphic novel! Cassie is part of a big family where money and attention are in short supply so when she opens a letter saying she's a grand prize winner from a magazine sweepstakes she sends in the card and dreams of all the ways the riches will change her life. Oh my heart! The story addresses so many topics perfect for this age group like the worry of being replaced by your bestie, to liking things others mock as babyish, to desperately needing your parents when they're spread too thin. There are two illustrations where Cassie's needs are reaching out to her mother - see me - listen to me - play with me - love me - that I think so many kids will relate to. My favorite parts of the book were the full page illustrations of Cassie in her dreams driven by what she thinks the sweepstakes will bring. So fun and beautifully drawn. Like stepping into a Lisa Frank sticker book! Highly recommend.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade (about 9-13)

DREAM ON, an incredibly relatable graphic novel, taps into dreams and sorrows.

I loved reading about this group of kids as they navigate friendships and life. There is so much hope in this book.
Kids will love this and both laugh and understand the trials.

Happy reading!

Thank you Roaring Brook Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I reached for this ARC because Shannon Hale’s Real Friends series is one of the most popular graphic novel series in my middle school library in Brooklyn. I was hoping for another graphic novel with a strong theme around changing friendships, and boy did I get it.

I’ve never identified as a “highly sensitive” kid, but I infrequently see representations of characters who are, and I have so many students who I feel would love seeing Cassie’s emotions depicted in Marcela Cespedes’ illustrations. When she’s feeling down, she has blue halos around her head, and when she’s mad, red ones. What I connected with most was Cassie’s deep longing for her mother’s attention as one of six children. Cespedes represents this with ghostly hands reaching out from her torso that read “notice me,” “talk to me,” “listen to me,” “care about me,” and “love me” when she is most in need of affection. These images were a punch in the gut I think young readers will especially empathize with.

I spent most of my time reading this novel wondering the exact age of the protagonist, since her siblings were given grades, but Cassie wasn’t until near the end of the novel. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say she’s a fourth grader. Given that I teach at a 6-8th grade school, I’m not 100% sure that this will end up being a popular title in my library, but I think a lot of the kids who read Real Friends will not need any convincing to pick up another Shannon Hale book. Really I would rate this as a slightly lower grade MG title, like 3rd-4th or 5th grade.

3.5/5 stars

Pub date: August 16, 2025

I really enjoy the 'Real Friends ' series, and this one is another good one by shannon hale. I enjoyed the book, but prefer the other series a little. That being said. Looking h at it through the lenses of my 5th graders and I could see it being a favorite. Students are always feeling judged for their feelings, and 'dream on' really touches on that feeling. Honestly, if I had one criticism, it would be that the illustrations were not my favorite-- especially the eyes of the characters. They just seemed a bit... off. Just a personal opinion as a librarian and mom. Overall, I really enjoyed the emotional story and know that it's going to be a hit with my students.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

While I enjoyed Shannon Hale's previous books Best Friends, Friends Forever, etc. and I recommended them to students, I did not like this one as much. I was very interested in reading it because I am a highly sensitive person. I appreciated the message that sensitive people feel both bad and good things more strongly than other people so can enjoy things more . However, I found the main character to be annoying. I wasn't quite sure how old she was supposed to be. It felt like a lot of the drama she was experiencing with friends was the annoying kind of third grade girl drama. I didn't think that either of these two girls were treating her well.

This book will be good for my students to expand their vocabulary. The words that the main character used were great and they varied. They would be great for new vocabulary and definitions.
The story also had a friendship aspect. Sometimes friends get along and sometimes they don’t. Communication is the key.
Families are also different, and it showed several different types of families. One family was big with a working father and several kids. Another was a family with cousins and grandparents, and the last was an only child and single mother. This book shows diversity. It also shows how families deal with different situations.
The main character is a dreamer of different situations. I feel this got her thinking and that helped her learn to deal with the different situations in the story.

Cassie is one of six kids in a hectic household, and she often feels crowded out and overlooked. In addition, everyone says she's "sensitive" and she's worried about what that means--and whether she seems babyish to her older sister and the other kids at school. On top of that, her best friend is starting to spend time with a more popular girl who has a mean streak. Luckily, the mail might just have the answer to all of her problems! When a sweepstakes entry arrives claiming that Cassie is already a winner, she imagines using her three grand prizes to prove her importance and loyalty to her friends and family. Sending in the form couldn't hurt, could it?

This graphic novel is an excellent choice for fans of Hale's graphic memoir series, as well as for readers who can't get enough of Raina Telgemeier. It touches on themes related to navigating friendships & family dynamics, fitting in and working to love and accept oneself, and following one's heart. Cassie's story is one that many young introverts will relate to, and it's told with tenderness, heart, and engaging, expressive art.

Cassie feels overlooked and underappreciated. As one of six kids, she isn't the oldest or youngest, and she longs for more attention from her parents. Not to mention they have no money, they all have to share bedrooms and can't even all fit into their small car at the same time. At school, a new girl has started, and she seems to be stealing Cassie's best friend. So when Cassie sees an item in the mail that promises her she can be a "winner!" if she just orders some magazines, she jumps at it. She then spends alot of her time day dreaming of how she can maker her friends and family's lives better with all the money and prizes she will win.
This is another great slice of life novel from Shannon Hale. She really understands those feelings of lonliness kids have when things are changing all around them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. You truly can not go wrong with a graphic novel by Shannon Hale. She channels the deep feelings and awkward interactions that happen daily in middle school. Cassie is one of six children in her family, and dreams of having her mother’s undivided attention. She’s a sensitive person, and feels that few people understand or appreciate that about her. At school, she’s challenged daily with friend issues. Along comes a sweepstakes entry in the mail, and Cassie pins her hopes on winning all the prizes. This tender graphic novel was relatable, heartfelt and engaging.

So good. Shannon Hale knocks it out of the park again. It's a fantastic graphic novel about friendship struggles in middle school, finding your place in your family, and figuring out how to appreciate yourself when others tell you you are too sensitive. Sequel coming soon!

Cassie Carpenter is the middle child of her family with many siblings. She longs for attention from her mother who is always too busy tending to the younger children. Her father is not at home too often due to work. One day Cassie finds a magazine sweepstakes entry in their mailbox that is addressed simply to C. Carpenter, most likely intended for her father Carl. Thinking that it was addressed to her, all she has to do is place the gold star sticker on the form and return it. Cassie dreams of all the grand prizes she can win. After all, she’s a guaranteed winner because no purchase is necessary, right?

Vali is Cassie’s classmate who is also her BFF. They did everything together including making up pretend games. Cassie tells Vali about the sweepstakes and hopes she wins a trip so they can go together. Mean classmate Stesha interrupts Cassie’s and Vali’s flow by saying their pretend games are for babies and that their teacher Mrs. Farmer (whom Cassie adores) is weird. Stesha’s little lies create a chasm between Cassie and Vali and the next thing you know Stesha and Vali are tight BFFs, leaving Cassie as the third wheel.

Cassie has been told she is too ‘sensitive’ by a few people. In actuality, Cassie is a dreamer with her heart in the right place. She just wants things to be without conflict but oftentimes her expectations are not met. She dreams about giving her family many riches such as a second car, expensive vacations, and new furniture. She dreams about being a woman of the world and marrying a prince like her teacher. She dreams of being admired by her peers and getting Vali back as her BFF. Cassie continues to dream on which helps her to cope with being a middle school girl.

This book is very reminiscent of the author’s Real Friends series. There are a lot of similarities, which I really enjoyed as that was one of my favorite middle grade realistic fiction graphic novel series. The story is top notch, the illustrations perfectly depict each scene, and the colors were effervescent and cheery. I’m not sure if this is intended to be a new series but if it is, I will be anxiously waiting to read more!

This book is very, very sweet and I related to it quite a bit as a former sensitive kid (and a current sensitive adult, if we're being honest). I think there's a lot of kids who can benefit from reading it. Plus, the art style is lovely!

Cassie has big emotions and a big imagination. When she gets a letter in the mail saying “You’re the Winner!,” she begins to picture what she would do with all those prizes. She could make her mom’s life easier, so she could have a little extra time and attention. She could take her best friend on a fabulous vacation to try to win her back from a new friend competing for her attention. The options are endless.

This book is a love note to kids with high sensitivity and active imaginations. It so authentically captures the emotions of childhood that at times my emotions were swinging right along with Cassie. I would strongly recommend it for kids with big emotions or who are struggling with friendship challenges or anyone looking to spark conversations about kindness and empathy.